Employee Recognition Programs Forum
I came across an article this morning that caught my eye called “Ask the Gen Y Expert: How Can I Get Recognized for My Hard Work?” In the article a junior assistant at a PR firm asks the “Gen Y expert” how she can get her boss to praise her for her good work. How does she know her work is good? Because her suggestions end up in reports, she is invited to high-level meetings, and she is kept in the loop on important projects. Many of you reading this might now might be asking, “So…what’s the problem here?”
We’ve all heard time and time again how Generation Y needs to be coddled and showered with praise, from countless articles on the topic over the past few years to Ron Alsop’s The Trophy Kids Grow Up. Here is a perfect example that sometimes clichés are true! I myself am technically a Gen Y’er, although I’m just on the cusp, having been born in 1981. Personally I’d have been thrilled as a junior assistant just out of college to have had seasoned professionals take my suggestions, whether I got explicit recognition for it or not. Of course, we all like to be thanked and praised for our hard work—but it seems that the generation who’s entering the workforce now needs it more than ever. They have spent their lives being awarded for just participating, being told they’re special, and being allowed by the adults in their lives to speak up whenever they feel like it—essentially putting themselves on the same level as their superiors.
The Gen Y expert in the article advises the frustrated assistant to either make it easier for her boss to give her praise by asking for the desired feedback, or to just get her kudos elsewhere. And if she doesn’t get recognized eventually, the expert mentions “dusting off her resume” and finding a job where she feels more appreciated. The fact that none of her advice sounded like this: “Get over it—at least you have a job in your field where you’re getting experience and exposure to high-level projects,” is very telling. Companies now more than ever need to make sure that their talented young employees are being rewarded with more than just a paycheck.
If this assistant is as skilled as she claims, her firm will really be losing out for the price of two simple words, “Great job.”
Rave’n Recognition is a member of the Celebration Federation. Her special powers include on-the-spot recognition and seeing the future of your organization with her Total Vision capabilities. During the day she can be found moonlighting as an employee at Michael C. Fina.
Enjoy this Post? Share it on your favorite social bookmarking site...
Does Strict = Success? « Recognition Heroes
January 14th, 2011
[...] in the workplace. We’ve written other entries about it—many Gen Y’ers have been observed to need more than their fair share of praise, expect a level of respect in the workplace that they have not earned, and have a lack of respect [...]
